Emergency-brake for street-cars.



'J. HAUSER. EMERGENCY BRAKE IOR STREET CARS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.30,1909.

925,904. atented u e 22,1909.

1 jiiiw; I l 77f UNITE STAT JACOB HAUSER, O1 SCOTTDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

EMERGENCY-BRAKE FOR STREET-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1909.

Application filed March 30, 1909. Serial No. 486,721.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB Ilarrsnn, a citi zen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Scottdale, in the county of Vi'estmoreland andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Emergency-Brakes for Street-Cars, of n hich the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to emergency brakes for street cars, and theobjects of my invention are, first, to provide a novel brake shoe thatcan be easily and quickly dropped into position to retard and eventuallystop the descent or forward movement of a car; second, to provide abrake mechanism easily operated by the motorman of a car to prevent acar from running away when descending an inclination; and third, toprovide a simple and inexpensive brake mechanism that will be positive.in its action and highly efficient for stopping a car after themotorman has lost control of the electric or hand brakes of the car.

The above objects are obtained by an emergency brake that will behereinafter described in detail and then specifically pointed. out inthe appended claims, and reference will now be had to the drawingforming a part of this application wherein there is illustrated thepreferred embodiments of my invention, but I would have it understoodthat the detail construction thereof can be varied or changed withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings 2-Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of astreet car equipped with the emergency brake, illustrating the brake inan inactive position, Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of acar illustrating the brake shoe in an active position, Fig. 3 is anenlarged plan of the brake shoe, Fig. 4 is an enlarged bottom plan ofthe same, and Fig. 5 is an end view of the brake shoe.

To put my invention into practice, I provide the platform 1 of a carwith hangers 2 for a shaft 3 having a crank 4 at one end thereof, whilethe opposite end is provided with a lever 5 extending upwardly throughthe platform 1 to an elevation convenient to the motorman or operator ofthe car. The platform 1 of the car is also provided with dependingbrackets 6, 7 and 8 having longitudinally alining openings for a rod 9,which is loosely connected, as at 10, to the crank f of the shaft 3.

Attached to the platform 1 by a chain 11 is a brake shoe 12 comprising atread plate 13, upright longitudinal side flanges 141- and 15, adepending longitudinal rail engaging flange 16 and a dependinglongitudinal gripping flange .17, said flange having serrations or teeth18 for engaging the ground or pavement adjacent to the rail 19 uponwhich the car is traveling. The tread plate 13 receives the tread 20 ofa car wheel 21 and is provided with a longitudinal groove 22 for theflange 2; of said wheel. The shoe intermediate the ends thereof,preferably adjacent to the at tached end of the shoe is provided with avertical lug 24; having an opening 25 formed therein.

\Vith the shoe in an inactive position as shown in Fig. 1 of thedrawings, the lug 24 is held between the depending brackets 6 and 7 by arod 9 and to take up the slack in the chain 11, two of the links of saidchain are connected by a spring 26. The tension of the spring 26 isadjusted sullicicntto support the slack portion of the chain, but theweight of the shoe 12 is sullicient when said shoe is released to eitherbreak the spring or expand the same, whereby the car wheel 21 can rideupon the shoe 12. When the shoe 12 is drop ed and engaged by the wheel21, the whee will have a tendency to snap the chain 11, but by using thespring 26, the shoe 12 will gradually yield to the action of the wheel21 and prevent the chain 11 from being injured.

The flange 16 of the shoe 12 is adapted to engage the inner side of therail 19 and maintain the shoe upon said rail, while the dependingscrrated or toothed llangc 17 enga es the pavement or ground adjacent tothe rail and retards the movement of the car. The brake shoe can be usedin connection with each wheel, and the actuating mechanism located to bequickly operated by the motorman of the car should the ordinary brakesfail to act. Each shoe is constructed of strong and durable metal andmade of a size according to the wheel in connection with which the sameis to be used.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new, is

1. In an emergency brake, for street cars, the combination of a brakeshoe, means for dotachablysuspend ingsaid shoein an inactive positionfrom the street car, said means including a longitudinally movable rod,a crank shaft carried by the car and connecting at one end to said rod,a lever connected to said shaft for operating the same, a chainconneoting the forward end of said brake shoe with said car, said brakeshoe comprising a tread plate, longitudinal side flanges carried by saidtread late, longitudinal depending flanges carried y said tread plate,one of said flanges being serrated, and said tread plate having alongitudinal groove formed therein for the flange of a car Wheel.

2. An emergency brake shoe for cars, comprising a tread plate havinglongitudinal upright side flanges, longitudinal depending flanges, oneof said flanges belng serrated,

and said tread plate having a longitudinal 15 JACOB HAUSER.

Witnesses:

F. J. DICKERI-IOFF, C. B. STRICKLER.

